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FARGO — When you're talking about St. Patrick's Day cuisine, most likely the staples come to mind: corned beef and cabbage, Irish stew, Irish soda bread and, of course, green beer. But how often do you hear about dessert? Everyone knows the Irish are a fun-loving people so why wouldn't they enjoy something sweet after dinner? If you're looking for something sweet to serve your lads and lassies, here are five favorite recipes from "The Great Indoors with Tracy Briggs." Homemade Irish Cream

WEST FARGO — Justin Vega sits in the barber chair covered in a cloak looking both excited and a little nervous. "Are you ready for this?" asks Men's Hairhouse Stylist Destiny Ose. "As ready as I'll ever be," he replies. As tentative as Vega sounds, he says he's been looking forward to getting his hair cut after a long, two-year wait. The operations coordinator at Noridian Healthcare Solutions normally wears his hair closely cropped, but in 2016 he decided to grow it out to donate to charity.

FARGO — Last May, Bernie Erickson and David Hamilton's south Fargo neighbors must have thought they were a little bit crazy. The couple got decked out in parkas, poured themselves cosmopolitans and dangled their feet in their pool while telling a video camera all about their backyard. "Four months out of the year, this is a beautiful backyard oasis," Erickson tells the camera as it pans across the clear, blue water. "But we want to experience the oasis, full time, all the time, every day," Hamilton chimes in. Why confess all of this to the camera?

FARGO — It's quiet on weekday mornings at First Congregational United Church of Christ in Fargo. Five people — four women and one man — sit quietly at a table drinking coffee, nibbling on cookies and talking the way only the best of friends do. "Bob is our one man. We'd like to get more, but no one else comes," says one woman. "Yeah, so I get stuck making the coffee," Bob replies. "But you're so good at it," replies another woman.

Let me start by saying, I'm proud to be from the Midwest. I'm sensitive to the comments about this being "flyover" country and always like to point out to whomever is listening that our region often ranks highest in the nation in many important areas like livability, job growth and graduation rates. We have a lot to brag about, but what I want to say to the people of my home region is this: "For the love of God, people, Jell-O is not real salad."

SEATTLE — When we called Melissa Schmalenberger, she was drinking a cup of tea, wrapped in a cozy blanket while gazing at the Seattle skyline from her new apartment. It was a relaxing morning in a new place — a far cry from the last few months. "This has been the most stressful four months of my life," she says as she begins to tell her story.

FARGO — Prairie Public TV will air "Inside Stories," the documentary based on the oral histories of eight North Dakota journalists at 8 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 29. "In the media environment we're in right now, it's really important to tell the story of the press and the real difference they actually make in people's lives and in their communities," said documentary producer Teri Finneman.

MOORHEAD, Minn. — In this part of the country, when you say the word "Viking," the image that might come to mind is of a blond, braided horn-wearing Norseman clad in purple and gold. To many Midwesterners, viking means Minnesota Viking, not the conquering Scandinavian warrior-adventurers of the 8th to 11th centuries. That is definitely the case after the NFL team's dramatic win over the New Orleans Saints on Jan. 14. After the "Minnesota Miracle," we are far more likely to think of Case Keenum and Stefon Diggs than Erik the Red or Leif Eriksson.

MOORHEAD, Minn. — The supermarket: an everyday convenience that Americans sometimes take for granted. To us, the "super" in supermarket is often overlooked. We're accustomed to our fully-stocked produce sections, wide aisles and plethora of choices. But if you're not from here — if you're a new American or simply a tourist from another part of the world — then you might find American supermarkets a little out of the ordinary, overwhelming or just plain odd.

If you're like me on these days after Christmas, you're staring at mostly-empty Christmas cookie containers wondering how it got this far. Crumbs are the only evidence of the carnage that unfolded throughout the holiday season. Oh, the humanity! The holidays are a time of parties, home baking and well-meaning coworkers delivering treats to your desk (I'm talking to you, Helmut Schmidt). It's been a season of eating and the scale shows it. New Year's resolutions loom on the horizon: I'm going to eat less, get fit and lose weight. But how will I do it?